SL News Blog

The Energy Minister guarantees the completion of the Moyamba Township Electrification Project by bringing three power generation units to Moyamba. On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Moyamba Town. Sierra Leone's Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, has delivered three power plants in accordance with the Moyamba District Electrification Project, demonstrating President Julius Maada Bio's commitment to putting an end to Moyamba Town's 40-year energy wait. It might be recalled that the New Direction administration had chosen Moyamba Town as one of the district headquarters towns that would gain from the Seven District Electrification Project using monies provided solely by the Government of Serra Leone. In Moyamba, the construction of poles, the laying of wires, and the installation of transformers had already been finished. The Speaker of the Kayamba Chiefdom, Adu Boyawa, welcomed the Minister and his entourage and could not contain his excitement at the r...

Eight candidates for president distance themselves from any planned demonstration and refute all of the assertions made by the APC in a recent press statement. Eight registered political parties with presidential candidates running in the June 24, 2023 multitier elections released a joint statement on May 16, 2023. It was definitely stated that they are required to engage the public on the following topics as the nominated presidential candidates of eight (8) registered political parties ready to participate in the general elections on June 24th: That they are all active members and participants in the ECSL Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) as eight presidential candidates who represent different registered political parties. They also acknowledge that the ECSL PPLC is made up of stakeholder representatives from ALL political parties and that it meets every two weeks to discuss issues related to the June 24, 2023 elections. The eight preside...

As Voter ID Card Confirmed Securitized Why Raising Concerns at the 11th Hour to General Elections? By Amin Kef (Ranger) The Voter Identification Card has now become the main focus of heated political discussion in homes, public transports, Ataya Bases and in political circles just 39 Days for Sierra Leoneans to go to the polls and cast their votes for who will become the next President of the nation, for Parliamentary Representatives, Mayors and Councillors. June, 24, 2023 will indeed mark a watershed in the political history of Sierra Leone as multitier elections in the form of Presidential, Parliamentary and Municipal Elections will be held in which the main contenders amongst others, , the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC) Party will be seeking fresh  legitimacy from the electorates to form a new Government that will comprise elected representatives of the people. Charged with the responsibility to conduct free, fair and cr...

The government of Sierra Leone has resumed building modernized traffic light systems in Freetown after the Civil War destroyed the automated traffic signal systems in the nation's capital.  Three traffic lights were installed as a test case as part of a pilot project to reinstall the traffic light system that was started during the previous administration. But for unclear reasons, the project was unable to move further. The closure of the project, according to one school of thought, was caused by the World Bank and the IMF ceasing to finance projects in Sierra Leone after they discovered severe corruption under the previous government.  When a new administration assumed control of the government, they had to persuade the other nations that they were the newcomers and that they were prepared to operate with accountability and transparency. When it became clear that the New Direction administration was truly headed in the correct direction and that the IM...

From The Desk of Charles Francis Margai Esquire I have seen a very misleading video making the rounds on social media in which the All People’s Congress Party former Secretary General Mr. Osman Foday Yansaneh is claiming that I have again joined forces with the APC for the forthcoming June 24, 2023 elections, as I did in 2007.  The general public is hereby informed by this notice, that the purported claim is not only misleading but intended to decimate my political character. Indeed some members of the APC approached me to team up with them in the June 24 general elections, but I told them in very explicit terms that I'll consult with my PMDC hierarchy and will make public our collective decision. After consultations with my Party,  and getting an invite from the leadership of the Coalition for Change, and in consideration that our two parties are yearning for change, we decided to form a Coalition.  As an individual I have never agreed...

Martin E. Michael LLB BL has expressed worry about the 3% MAT in the Finance Act 2023, which requires businesses to give the government 3% of their revenue if they generate less than 12% in net profit. He claims that the ruling didn't favor many domestic businesses.  He went on to say that the business shouldn't be held accountable for any drastic measures it may take to pay the 3% tax imposed. And in reality, when businesses decide to raise prices, it will be the customers the majority of whom are unemployed and have financial difficulties who will struggle to pay the 3% tax. The Mercury International, the top betting corporation, has launched a number of precious corporate social initiatives, including the building of the Girl School in Port Loko, according to the learned legal luminary who also leads the organization. They expressed their concerns about the 3% tax, he claimed, but the IMF mistrusted and disregarded them.  Based on the afo...

Makeni Nursing A Revolutionary Singer And Activist By Richmond B Tholley Of recent, there has been growing concern by young people in Sierra Leone to have a say in the affairs and governance of their country.  While the majority of the youths chose to take to the streets, like taking drugs, and violence against their future, others choose the path of music and advocacy for the common good of society. In the Northern part of Sierra Leone, Abdul Benjamin Koroma whose stage name is ( A B K the Inspirational) is a young activist who sings music of inspirational quotes mainly on good governance, democracy and human rights.  The young activist is the chairman of Help Save Lives, a community-based organization that is advocating for children in the Northern province, and he's also the Founder and CEO of the Young Lives Foundation Movement (YLFM). Born in Tane Chiefdom, Tonkolili  District, ABK  believes in equality and justice in every aspect of humanity. In his...

SLPP Nominates AYV Northern Region Correspondent For the Makeni Mayoral Seat By Richmond B Tholley Sierra Leone's governing party - the Sierra Leone People's Party has nominated a former journalist in the Northern province of Sierra Leone to bear the party's symbol for the Makeni City mayoral position in the next month's general election. Amadu Kamara is a former journalist and regional manager of the African Young Voices (AYV) and has been selected by the SLPP to contest for the Mayorship of the Northern region's most populous city.  Kamara spent twelve years in active journalism and has contributed to the development of not only the media.  His joining the SLPP left the public with mixed feelings.  Regarded as one of the popular media practitioners in the Northern region for years, Kamara will face Abu Bakarr Lamtales, another widely celebrated politician in Makeni City from the main opposition party- All Peoples Congress. In most of his on...

In Port loko district, a Slpp parliamentary candidate has  engaged the  Apc  in two chiefdoms The battle is raging Analytical writing May 3rd 2023 In the entire North West region of the Country, it now appears that the Slpp has engaged the Apc everywhere. In some cases,the Slpp has succeeded and gained foothold and in other cases, the Apc has successfully pushed back the Slpp. This back and forth drama  is now unfolding all over the North west region -which many have seen as the Slpp's overall strategy to play the Apc, what football experts describe as, half field.  This ugly development for Apc has made them to be stuck in their backyard and trying to fend off the Slpp. In context,the Apc has not been able to take the fight to the Slpp- in reality ,the Apc is playing a defensive match.. Port loko is one of the districts in the North West region where there are currently campaign engagements between the Slpp and the Apc. In some areas in ...

Government of Sierra Leone Signs Aide Memoire with the US MCC The Government of Sierra Leone, represented by the Ministers of Finance and Energy, on Tuesday, 2nd May 2023, signed an Aide Memoire with the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the presence of the United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, David Reimer.  The main objective of signing the MOU is for the MCC and Government to strengthen their collaboration to bring the compact development to a close with the expectation that the MCC will submit the proposed Compact Document to its Board of Directors for approval in September 2023.  As stated in the MOU, the proposed Energy Compact would make foundational investments in Sierra Leone’s transmission network, including the construction of the Southern Corridor 225kV transmission line, the National Dispatch Centers, and possibly complementary projects at the sub-transmission level and substations on the 161kV line running from Bumbuna to Fr...

The Slpp turn out yesterday in Freetown has worried Apc planners And they are right to be worried Analytical writing May 3rd 2023 While we agree that Apc may still command the  majority in Freetown, there is a developing scenario that has revealed that Slpp too has come into Freetown, established itself and amassed hundreds of thousands of supporters. Slpp's national reach policy has spilled into Freetown where people from all backgrounds are now identifying themselves with the party . This has catapulted the Slpp to a position where it now commands a huge support in capital city. Yesterday, close to a 100 thousand Slpp supporters came out and  were not all over the streets because the Slpp decided to abide by PRRC's rules and regulations of no street rallies . Another driving force behind this massive Slpp support in Freetown is due to President  Bio's constructive governance policies in education  ,infrastructure, healthcare and fight against corruption...

The Popular Human Right Activist In Tonkolili District Declares For SLPP By Richmond B Tholley A popular and renowned Human and Civil Society activist in the Northern District of Tonkolili has declared for the governing Sierra Leone People's Party. Abdul Samad Kamara was the Tonkolili District Coordinator for the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDHR) and a member of the District Human Rights Committee in Tonkolili. CDHR whose headquarters is in the Northern city of Makeni is a human rights organisation that advocates for democracy, human rights and good governance. In an exclusive interview with this medium, Samad said, he's joining the SLPP because he believes in the development trajectory of the party and the current leader, President Julius Maada Bio. In fact, Samad said, he will be contesting for Member of Parliament in Constituency 049 in Tonkolili District under the SLPP. "Very soon,  I will be nominated for MP under the SLPP," Sam...